After releasing her debut album, Don’t Look Away, to little fanfare, Kate Voegele gave her career a much needed boost by appearing on One Tree Hill … particularly because she played a keyboardist in a band fronted by Kevin Federline while the whole three-ring circus of a pre-medicated Britney Spears was in full swing. And when K-Fed’s stint ended, Kate slipped into a recurring role that allowed her to showcase some of her songs.
It’s been a year since her album was released, and it looks like things are finally picking up for Miss Kate — she just released her first official single, “Only Fooling Myself,” and she’s currently on the road with Hanson and will jump on tour with Natasha Bedingfield at the end of May.
We sat down with the singer/songwriter to get the inside scoop on working with Britney’s ex and the story behind her new video. Read what she had to say and then check out some exclusive pics here.
Buzzworthy: Being on One Tree Hill really breathed life into your debut album…
Kate Voegele: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I knew that going on One Tree Hill was going to be an incredible vehicle for the record. What is amazing about it is that my role on the show is, you know, basically playing a musician, and all the songs she plays are off my record. You never know how people are going to respond, but they have received it so well and it’s translated into ticket sales and record sales. It’s been more than I ever hoped it would be.
BW: What was it like working with Kevin Federline?
KV: I was secretly pumped ’cause I, like, live for good stories and for experiences that I can laugh about for the rest of time. I had a feeling this was going to be one of them, you know? So, it was great. He really surprised me because he was a really down-to-earth guy. He was really easy to make conversation with and he was cool with everybody — there wasn’t any ego or anything there. That’s refreshing because, I mean, the dude is, like, all over the place in the press and whatever. He’s a great guy and we all had fun together. It was cool.
BW: Did he seem distracted by all the crazy stuff that was going down with Britney at the time?
KV: You know, he was very much there to work, and he did a great job. It was funny ’cause the character he played was, like, a total jerk, but he wasn’t that way at all in real life. He didn’t talk about, you know, the whole situation. He talked like you were hanging out with just a regular guy. But, yeah, I felt for him ’cause everybody was all over everything that was going on in his life at that point. He seemed like a normal dude who was just like, “Wow, this is just a little bit insane.” It was a crazy time but I think he handled it really well.
BW: Will you be back on the show for season 6?
KV: Well, I’m appearing in the last two [episodes] of this season, so we’ll see what happens. It’s such an unbelievably pleasant environment and everyone there is so genuine and just so awesome. I can’t say enough about how great it has been.
BW: Tell us about your new video, “Only Fooling Myself”…
KV: Phil Griffin, who did Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab,” did it, and he’s just brilliant. It’s kind of about, you know, wishful thinking and wanting something to happen that really isn’t on the horizon. I shot it all in front of a green screen, and me and this park bench are the only constants. Basically what happens is this giant hand with scissors cuts me and the bench out and then places different scenery around me. Like, the hand is representative of whomever this person is that’s totally having control over you, and you’re only fooling yourself that you can have control over everything. It was a fun shoot. I got to wear all these, like, crazy outfits and stuff. I’m a visual artist, so it was perfect!
BW: Have you been working on songs for your next album?
KV: Oh my God, I have enough songs for 10 records! It’s ridiculous. As an artist you’re always writing and always anxious to get back into the studio to record new stuff. But I think that I’ll be riding this album out for awhile.
